Need app for adding subtitles to downloaded videos from YouTube

Software
1

Hi all, I’m using 4k Downloader to download videos so I can import them into Keynote. However, 4k Downloader is not adding the subtitles even when I select “download with subtitles” from YouTube. HappyScribe will add the subtitles back in, but their pricing seems super confusing. Has anyone found a good way to download videos from YouTube with Subtitles seamlessly? I’m happy to pay for a working solution.

Additional notes for the curious: I run a nonprofit and I need both English and Spanish subtitles (downloaded as separate videos) for those with hearing impairment. I often present in places with no or poor internet which is why I need the videos downloaded to my computer rather than playing directly from YouTube.

2

I recently downloaded an Indian video and successfully used Whisper from Open AI to provide translated subtitles, and then ffmpeg to burn them onto the video.
Since they are both command line tools, it could be automated, and it’s free.

If that sounds useful I could dig out how I did it for you. Whisper took ages, by the way, but if you have the subtitles file, ffmpeg is speedy.

3

Downie will always download subtitles from YT for me, and you can easily select the default language(s).

2 Likes
4

Is this what you are looking to do?

“For sites that support this, Downie can download subtitle files along with the main download. If you do not wish for the subtitles to be downloaded automatically, uncheck this option. Downie will
by default convert all subtitle formats to the most common .srt format - this is not always desired - in such cases, enable the option to keep original format of the subtitles.”

1 Like
5

Thanks everyone! We ended up using https://www.happyscribe.com/. For $12 for one hour’s worth of videos it was an economical option and now I have a set of videos with English cc and Spanish cc. Just what I needed.

A question for those that use Downie… a lot of these services seem to be crippled after a few months. I’m hesitant to pay for a service that I know won’t be around. The purchase price of Downie is great if it will continue to work in a year or so, but I’ve been bitten by a lot of these YouTube downloaders in the past.

6

I’ve been using Downie for about two years now, the app is frequently updated and works great, never had any issues downloading YT videos with it. Sometimes it can be bought with a discount so you may want to watch out for that (and it’s also part of Setapp).

7

I first purchased Downie 2 in May 2016. The developer charges for major upgrades but, as I recall, it’s always been at least 50% off the purchase price. It’s a solid, easy to use, app.

1 Like
8

I’ve also been frustrated by this problem, but Downie has been consistently good for me for a long time.

1 Like
9

I’ve been using Downie for years, and it must be the program that updates most often on my computer, so the author is always fixing the issues. Worth every penny!

2 Likes